Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Allan James & The Cold Wave - 8/21 - Pike Room (Pontiac)

Sometimes these things just happen. It was early in 2007 and singer/guitarist Allan James’s main project had just come to a stop. Simultaneously, his friends, Sean Sommer (also of Friendly Foes) and Tom Currie (also of Au Revoir Borealis) had seen their respective other projects slow to standstills and it felt like the right time for the three of them to plug in, drink some beers and make some songs, start up something new.

The result: Allan James & The Cold Wave, a melodic, atmospheric indie-pop, heavy on guitars and often mood; never over-bearing or pummeling, just classy and endearing. Or, if pressed, James name drops Pedro The Lion and Elliott Smith. However, he notes that some listeners scramble a bit when classifying the Cold Wave; “We’ve been told…Dinosaur Jr, a slowed-down-Superchunk, Big Star and all sorts of random things that really make no sense (like…Cheap Trick).”The current line up includes Sommer, Ryan Allen (both F. Foes), Gjon Gjavelini and Scott Allen (of Thunderbirds Are Now). The band plays August 21st at the Pike Room (Crofoot) with Now, Now Every Children and Bad Veins. They record this month with Ben West (The Great Fiction) and play the DIY Street Fair (in Ferndale) in September. Myspace.com/thecoldwave